'Bring light to darkness'

Hickenlooper gives 'State of the State' talk to legislators

DENVER - Calling on Coloradans to "punch holes in the darkness," Gov. John Hickenlooper laid out his response to massive wildfires and gun violence Thursday in his third State of the State address.

The speech contained Hickenlooper's most detailed vision yet of what he wants to accomplish as governor, from a statewide water plan to mental health improvements to reforming the Taxpayer's Bill of Rights.

The twin menaces of drought and gun violence colored much of the speech.

Hickenlooper paid homage to Coloradans who suffered during a horrific summer that saw the state's most destructive wildfires and one of the worst mass shootings in American history.

"We have an obligation to prevent similar tragedies, to do good, to bring light to darkness. We have an obligation to represent the best that is Colorado," Hickenlooper said.

Hickenlooper originally responded to the Aurora movie theater shooting last July by saying it wasn't the right time to discuss the politics of guns while victims were still mourning.

Coincidentally, a day before the Connecticut elementary school shooting, he said Colorado should start the conversation about guns, and he emphasized his new position Thursday.

"We shouldn't be restrained from discussing any of these issues. Our democracy demands this type of debate," he said.

He called for universal background checks for all gun sales - a line that brought a standing ovation from Democrats and silence from Republicans.

"Surely, Second Amendment advocates and gun control supporters can find common ground in support of this proposition: Let's examine our laws and make the changes needed to keep guns out of the hands of dangerous people," Hickenlooper said.

He also called for the Legislature's support for a "comprehensive overhaul" of the mental health system. He outlined what he had in mind last month - legal changes that make it easier to find people with mental health troubles and get them treatment, either with or without their consent.

The governor called for a statewide water plan by 2015.

"While expanding reservoir capacity makes sense, and rotational fallowing of agricultural land shows great promise, every discussion about water should start with conservation," he said.

He touched only briefly on two of the hottest issues in the Legislature in 2012. He called on lawmakers to quickly pass bills to create civil unions for gay and lesbian couples and college tuition discounts for the children of illegal immigrants. With Democrats firmly in control of both the House and Senate, passage of both bills is a foregone conclusion.